School bond doesn’t square with facts

Published: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 07:03 PM.

Once again another quasi-government agency wants more of your money — surprise, surprise.

The Onslow County school board is pushing for more money due to a perceived growth in students. This will result in a large property tax increase.

Yes, Onslow County was the fastest growing county in state. This was due to a rapid increase of 10,000 troops at Camp Lejeune and very high levels of multi-year government contracts to build new housing and government facilities including buildings, barracks, shooting ranges, etc. Many of these multi-year contracts were accomplished by out-of-state contracting companies whose employees relocated to Onslow County during the years it takes to complete the contracts.

I have no idea where the Onslow County Board of Education is getting its future growth numbers. Over the last several months, Camp Lejeune has stated that Lejeune will be cutting up to 8,000 Marines and in the next two years government contracting is going to be cut 90 percent.

Assuming that each Marine has a wife and at least one child, this is 24,000 people leaving Onslow County. The reductions in personnel are starting this fiscal year — not five years from now. As the government finishes its new housing projects, more military will be required to live on base.

The personnel being cut will go back to their home states. The government contract employees will go to the next job somewhere else and a larger portion of the remaining military will be required to live on base. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out Onslow County may be one of the fastest shrinking counties in the state.

Once again another quasi-government agency wants more of your money — surprise, surprise.

The Onslow County school board is pushing for more money due to a perceived growth in students. This will result in a large property tax increase.

Yes, Onslow County was the fastest growing county in state. This was due to a rapid increase of 10,000 troops at Camp Lejeune and very high levels of multi-year government contracts to build new housing and government facilities including buildings, barracks, shooting ranges, etc. Many of these multi-year contracts were accomplished by out-of-state contracting companies whose employees relocated to Onslow County during the years it takes to complete the contracts.

I have no idea where the Onslow County Board of Education is getting its future growth numbers. Over the last several months, Camp Lejeune has stated that Lejeune will be cutting up to 8,000 Marines and in the next two years government contracting is going to be cut 90 percent.

Assuming that each Marine has a wife and at least one child, this is 24,000 people leaving Onslow County. The reductions in personnel are starting this fiscal year — not five years from now. As the government finishes its new housing projects, more military will be required to live on base.

The personnel being cut will go back to their home states. The government contract employees will go to the next job somewhere else and a larger portion of the remaining military will be required to live on base. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out Onslow County may be one of the fastest shrinking counties in the state.

Currently, there are not any military bases undergoing BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) so we will not be receiving any additional military from bases being closed.

My guess is that the school board knows all of the information above and sees its window of pushing for more money quickly fading. There is absolutely no reason to expand our school system when all of the above facts show a shrinking community.

As a property owner who is sick of getting taxed to death, I know I am firmly against a property- tax increase — especially when the facts do not support what is being asked for